Begin Again
by Timely
Summary: My musings of how Dramione can happen despite HPDH epilogue with a scoop of angst, sprinkle of scandal, and a pinch of non-existent fluff: Scorose pairing and 2nd Gen introduction. **Continuation of where JKR left us.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer** : I lay no claim on Harry Potter...but within the Mirror of Erised, I do.

 _ **~ Begin Again ~**_

* * *

 _"He's shut down compassion — how else would you become a Death Eater? So he suppresses virtually all of the good side of himself..." - JKR_

* * *

Draco Malfoy remembered the first time he saw her again after the war.

…

 _He winced as he met Granger's, err, Weasley's glare. The woman's hands were firmly crossed, her face mused up with her lips tight. He stood detachedly on her front door, the glass opening keeping them apart._

 _"_ _What are you doing here, Malfoy?"_

 _Before he could answer, Ron came to the rescue. The red head gave Draco a sheepish apologetic glance as he explained to a suddenly understanding and a bit apologetic Hermione._ _Ron had forgotten to tell Hermione about Draco coming over for dinner to discuss over a case._

 _They needed Hermione's input, but she was too busy in her department so Ron had suggested the day earlier to come over. Hermione apologized to Draco, but her eyes were still cautious and untrusting even as she welcomed him into her home._

 _When Ron told her to relax, Hermione turned concern eyes to her husband, her face faltering a bit to let out a smile at him. Draco's eyes watched the transformation and sighed inside. Hermione did not hate him, but she certainly would never smile at him like that._

…

That had been the first time he saw her after the defeat of the Dark Lo—Voldemort (it was just Voldemort now). It was also the last time Ron Weasley was on speaking terms with him. The case was closed with Hermione's help and Weasley never spoke to him again. The next time Ron even acknowledged his presence was at the platform.

Seeing them again at the place where it all started brought back painful, if not awful, memories. He did not blame the Potters or the Weasleys for acting so cold, as if years of working alongside Ron or Harry as aurors, never existed. Well, he had been more of a desk worker as no one would trust a Malfoy...so he stuck to his hobbies at collecting dark artifacts and studying alchemical manuscripts. While he didn't use the artifacts (he kept them in glass cases), it was something to do that kept him useful on the force that tracked and captured dark wizards and dark artifacts.

However, after that day, Draco set out to bury old demons. The only problem he had was Hermione, who found it hard to trust his sincerity.

Hermione Weasley was stubborn as she was beautiful. She grew into her looks, her figure curving into slender hips and her wavy uncontrollable hair being tamed to a mass of waves. It was insane how much one noticed if one just…looked. And Draco looked. He did not even notice that he looked, but he did. He never wanted for things to have gone as far as they had…he really didn't. He just wanted to make up for his past.

It started out as guilt. Seeing the Golden Trio five years ago on September 1, 2017 brought back remorse and memories. Waving goodbye to his son that day and watching him board the train to Hogwarts, Draco reflected upon his relationship with the three saviors of the Light. He knew his son was going to suffer for their family crimes.

That day as he walked away with his wife, he knew he needed to make corrections. He decided then to amend the relationships between the Malfoys and the Weasleys and Potters. It was easier than he had thought though. _Almost_. The irony was not loss on Draco that becoming friends with Potter and Weasley was easier than with the brains of the trio.

…

 _Astoria watched Draco, her eyes solemn. She knew that Draco was dreading this day for their son, his concern having been voice for the past year as they slept next to each other. She saw something else on his face then, though. She loved Draco for his ability to change and adapt to change. This was the man she came to love._

 _She laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, startling him to turn away from his thoughts. There was something else in his eyes though as he turned to her. A plan._

 _"_ _What are you thinking," she asked him as Draco took her by the arm and turned them to leave the platform._

 _His eyes stared ahead. The concern and fear she had seen on his face as they waved goodbye to Scorpius was replaced with a sudden determination. His gray eyes were suddenly alive, a spark of a fire in it._

 _"_ _I think it's time that the Malfoys make up with the Weasleys and Potters," Draco said monotonically._

 _Astoria stared at him in shock. You would think he was talking about the weather._

 _"_ _How," Astoria questioned lightly._

 _She knew the plan was already forming and coming alive in his head._ _Draco's eyes glinted as he turned to her. His lips were unmoving, the face giving away no emotion except for his eyes._

 _"_ _Don't worry about it, love," he murmured before sideways apparating with her._

 _Astoria could not help but worry for her husband though. She knew he was uncomfortable with facing the Trio._ _Draco felt Astoria's concern for him, but this was something he had to do. Not for his guilt or his crimes, but for his son and the next generations of Malfoys._

…

With Ron, they were not chums. In fact, they were only on speaking terms when they had been partnered up for certain cases. They hunted down followers of the Dark Lord when Ron was an auror, with Weasley being the brawn and Malfoy the brains behind a desk doing research. The few times he was trusted to be out on the field, he had saved Weasley's life and Weasley's saved his. Ron left his position as an auror to run the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes in 2012 with George. Draco continued.

With Potter, he had created a slow friendship over the past decade. Draco worked pretty close with Potter when the golden hero was promoted to Head Auror in 2007. In fact, because of Ron's absence from 2012 and onward, Draco had worked alongside Harry as his replacement. It didn't mean they were on speaking terms. No, Potter and he were _polite_.

However, that did not stop him from trying to reconcile after that day in September of 2017, meaning he had to make the extra effort in contacting Potter.

Through those contacts, meetings, getting together, talking about Quidditch, and about their children at Hogwarts (Albus and Scorpius were friendly rivals, their stories of getting in trouble together made both of their fathers laugh) and eventually led Draco and his family to being invited to family gatherings.

It was not easy.

In fact, Charlie and Bill were still very indifferent to him. Author and Molly Weasley were more welcoming, but Molly took longer, being more hostile towards Draco. However, after seeing him save Harry first hand and then sacrificing himself for Harry (he was in St. Mungo's for a month due to that curse he took for Potter that cold winter of 2019), she's turned into a doting mother.

When Lucius heard about his son's crazy plan and new "friends," he was angered, but in the end accepted it because it raised the Malfoy name to better standing. "Draco Malfoy saves the Golden Hero" or "Malfoy seen at Potter and Weasley Gathering!" headlines certainly made the Malfoy's look good.

Narcissa Malfoy was also very accepting, still feeling grateful to Potter for saving the Malfoys from trial when he pardoned them, explaining Narcissa's part in his defeat of Voldemort. Astoria supported him the whole time, her understanding and compassion keeping him hopeful for the future.

Astoria Malfoy, formerly Greengrass, was his best friend.

Draco loved her. She stood by him and called him out when he was being an irrational stubborn Malfoy. Draco could not have asked for a better wife for the Malfoy line. However, he was not in love with her.

Astoria knew this.

She knew this from his distant answers and vague replies at some of the topics such as his part in Dumbledore's death. She knew only of what Narcissa told her and of what she heard from others like Blaize Zabini and her brother-in-law, Theodore Nott. Draco at times felt guilty for these distant emotions, but he cannot change them.

His and Astoria's marriage was an arranged marriage, a desperate attempt by Lucius Malfoy to become part of the Greengrass inner circle. The Greengrass were smart enough to not choose sides during the First and Second War, leaving them rich and well respected in the community. The Greengrass only accepted the arrange marriage because Narcissa Malfoy was good friends with Astoria's mother and the betrothal had occurred before the Second War began.

Draco Malfoy was a changed man after the war though. He had to grow up. When he pointed his wand to Dumbledore, he finally understood what insanity was and the day he saw people he grew up with dying around him, he understood how wrong his whole life had become.

He learned what despair truly was when he realized there was no escape from the Dark Lord's clutches, that he could not leave his family behind, that he was coward, and that he had no way to out of the hole he and his family dug for themselves. Helplessness. Despair. Death. That was the war for him. A war he had chosen.

Astoria Greengrass, when they met for the first time after the war to finalize the engagement, was shocked at the changed Draco.

She used to hate him for his arrogance, thinking him too spoilt and mean. She always thought him cowardly, more bark than bite. The man before her was not that boy however and she eventually fell in love with who he became after the adversities of war. They became friends, lovers, and parents together. Draco considered her his best friend besides Theodore Nott and Blaize Zabini. The three of them helped him change and mature. They reminded him that he was no longer the boy he used to be.

It was their support that he was able to overcome the hatred of the Wizardry community and the hostile press and media. It was because the companionship and understanding he gained from them that he was able to grow up and befriend the Golden Trio…and it was because of them that he lived for three years in a sham of a marriage, staying faithful to a woman he felt indebted to while loving another.

Draco Malfoy fell in love with Hermione Weasley Granger.

He's been in love with her for the past three years. Like Potter, working alongside her didn't lead to a friendship. It was only with his extra effort with Potter that Hermione began to trust him and then…well, the story continues.

It's now 2023 and he still has no idea where he began to like her.

In 2019, after recovering from the curse, Draco transferred to Hermione's department, having been recommended there by Harry himself. Draco's plan had been to reconcile, to put away old demons, to pave a better path for Scorpius. It was not for Draco to fall in love with Hermione Weasley née Granger.

Somehow, along the four years of working with her, Draco found himself laughing at her wry sense of humor. After sending Scorpius off for his second and third times at the platform, Draco found himself searching her out each time, hoping to tease her about how Scorpius will beat Rose this year academically.

At work, he found himself teasing her over everything she did. Somehow, his dreams began to be filled with brown untameable wavy hair instead of the silk dark hair of the woman who slept next to him every night. Somehow, he fell in love with the girl he was taught to hate all those years ago.

Hermione though, has been in love with Draco Malfoy for only two of those four years, but she has considered him her best friend for three years (Alongside Harry, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna. She didn't have many outside of them). She never hated him to begin with. She pitied him more than hate, but she certainly did not like him.

When they first began working together in 2019, she was skeptical and mistrusting of him. However, after seeing Harry invite him to a family gathering and spending a couple of non-biased moments with him, she began to see the man Draco had become instead of the boy he had been. She even found herself laughing at his wit.

However, one day, maybe it was after the revelation of their love for books, knowledge, and history…or after the time she had convinced him to take the muggle bus in the rain with her or when he had given her the surprising present of the rare book _Remaros: the Truth of Merlin_ …that she found herself falling for him.

…

 _"_ _We're not allowed to portkey, apparate, floo powder, or even fly to this place," Draco exclaimed in horrified shock._

 _Hermione found herself laughing over his predicament. Draco Malfoy was so useless without magic. She shook her head at him as they walked side by side each other on the muggle street. The two of them, since she became head of the department, worked close together._

 _Draco was placed in the position directly beneath her, Harry nominating Draco to the spot (which basically won him the spot because Harry-_ _Freaking-Savior-_ _Potter had recommended him). Draco glared at her when he noticed her amusement over his sudden induce helplessness at the situation at hand._

 _"_ _Malfoy, it's not the end of the world," she began, but he cut her off quickly, his eyes continuing to glare at her._

 _"_ _If you have not noticed Granger, we have no way of getting these papers signed by the President of the Magical Creatures Sanctions, if we cannot even reach her!"_

 _Hermione suppressed her laughter and laid an gentle arm on his shoulder when he only continued to rant about stupid vacation time. Draco felt her suddenly warm touch, her fingers clasping onto his shirt. They were both wearing jeans, their muggle attire blending them in perfectly to the people around them in the middle of muggle London._

 _However, at that moment, they were very noticeable. The two had suddenly stopped mid way, their bodies facing each other. Hermione felt the shock of warmth at her hand touching his shoulders._

 _Draco stared down at her hand, swallowing down the sudden lump in his throat before quickly moving away. He watched as her hand fall away from his body. He felt the tingle of shiver run down his back. He fought back the urge to touch her back in return._

 _Hermione's eyes furrowed together, lips pursed at his behavior and her own. She hated how she could not touch Malfoy anymore without feeling this dratted confused emotional response from her own body. She cleared her throat and looked away from him. As she turned her eyes away, they caught something red. A muggle bus! Turning back to Draco and forcing a smile, waving her hand in the air as if to wave away the suddenly awkward moment._

 _"_ _I have an idea," she said with a sudden smile._

 _Draco snapped his head up, his eyes narrowed in suspicious. He knew that tone and he knew he was not going to like it…_

 _Those were his exact thoughts as he sighed out loud. Hermione was standing next to him as they both squeezed into the bus with other muggles. The only reason why Draco kept his mouth shut was because Hermione was enjoying herself so much on the bus._

 _Draco cursed himself as he felt his body respond to her closeness and prayed for the bus ride to hurry up. Hermione was oblivious to his discomfort as she chatted with the muggles around her. However, she truly enjoyed the bus only because she got to see the dejected look on Draco's face._

…

After that day, things changed. She found herself searching for him whenever he was not around.

One day, she found herself staying at the Ministry longer than necessary, just working alongside or reading next to Draco. One day, she found herself just smiling back at his smiles and actually enjoying their daily banter on anything and everything. One day, she began to fall asleep with his names on her lips instead of the man sleeping next to her. One day, at the age of 41, she fell in love with the man who introduced the unsavory prejudiced world of magic to her.

She's 43 now and she was still in love with that man.

They've never acted upon those feelings. There were moments though, close contacts where their breaths met and where her eyes closed as he lowered his face or where his eyes watched her lips, neck, and fingers. Their hands would accidentally skim each other's shoulder, waist, or hand.

There had been looks and desire, but he never touched her in that way. Their hugs were reluctant and quick, their touches even faster. They felt the fire igniting within them from those small moments of contact, invisible moments of flesh to flesh, but they've never acted upon it.

The tension between them was high. Sometimes Draco was tempted to close that distance between their lips or the small gap between their fingers or just snatch her and hold her, but he remembered Astoria…and she remembered Ron. She remembered Rose and Hugo; he remembered Scorpius; their spouses and their children…their families.

Hermione returned home to Ron and Draco to Astoria. They were suddenly sleeping in separate beds from their spouses. Draco and Astoria no longer talked as frequently, Draco closing himself in his study or hanging out at the office with Hermione. Hermione slept in Rose's room, her nights at the ministry turning longer and longer. She and Ron fought constantly now over the smallest things. When Draco and Hermione sent off Rose and Scorpius for their fifth year, they realized they were living a lie.

It was their children that they lied to the most though. Scorpius was too busy over summer breaks, hanging out with the Zabinis and Notts. Rose and Hugo were the same. Whenever they were home though, their families ate dinner together and their parents acted the loving couple. They saw nothing wrong. Ron didn't want his children worrying and Astoria made sure Scorpius knew nothing about the new dynamic of his parent's relationship.

Hermione and Draco continued though. They knew in their hearts that they loved their spouses. They also knew they were in love with the wrong person, Hermione being driven with guilt at falling out of love with her own husband and then back in love with a married man. They were in their early forties, too old to find new love, too old to let everything they've ever known go.

Hermione loved Ron. In truth though, if Hermione admitted it to herself, she married Ron not because of love, but because of their great friendship and the idea that everyone put in her head. Ron was supposed to be her soul mate, her best mate.

They were meant for each other and they balanced each other. She was so used to the idea, having liked him since their third year, that she followed along with what everyone else believed. What she had once believed.

So falling in love with Draco Malfoy had been a shock. She had been in denial…and so had he.

They fought their feelings _for_ each other, even if not each other. They stayed faithful to their vows and played the part. They avoided physical contact and intimacy, but emotionally, they became even more attached. The lie continued and the picture perfect families continued. The Malfoys were happy together, the Weasley and the golden couple were happy. That was how it was…until that night.

It all changed when Hermione came home to discover Ron with another woman in their bed. When she tried to leave, Ron followed her. They argued and accusations were thrown.

…

 _Ron Weasley quickly donned on a pair of boxers, his legs barely in the holes before he reached desperately for Hermione's hand. Tears fell from her eyes, the pain in her chest ripping her heart apart as she tried to yank her hand away from him._

 _She closed her eyes against the image of Ron grunting and moaning as the blonde beneath him yelled out his name. She could still smell the stench of sex in the room. It clung to him like a second layer._

 _"'_ _Mione, wait," Ron said quickly, the words stumbling on his tongue, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean—"_

 _"_ _You didn't mean what Ronald?" Hermione finally yanked herself away, stumbling slightly in her anguish. Her whole body shook and her fingers trembled as she covered her mouth as if they could stop the broken sobs._

 _Ron looked at her with apologetic eyes. His hair was all over the place. It was messy from being pulled at by the other woman, her lipstick covering his neck. Hermione could see hickeys on his shoulder blades, the muscle flexing with each harsh breath he took. His toned torso was falling up and down with his frantic heart beats as he once again tried to reach for her._

 _"_ _Hermione, this was only one time," he began, but she cut him off._

 _"_ _One time? Once is enough! In fact, you cannot excuse this Ron," Hermione said between sobs._

 _Ron clenched and unclenched his fingers. "What do you want me to say? I thought you weren't going to be home today."_

 _"It shouldn't matter if I am home or not, Ronald." Hermione's eyes flashed with anger._

 _Ron opened his mouth to apologize again when he caught sight of the bag by the couch. His eyes turned hard as he saw the insigma. An M with a silver snake wrapped around its base._

 _"_ _You were with Malfoy again?"_

 _Hermione stared at him in shock, her eyes growing wide. "Don't you dare bring Draco into this!"_

 _"_ _So it's Draco now," Ron snared as he went over to snatch the bag._

 _Hermione flew forward then, trying to take the bag back, but Ron was stronger. He snatched it away from her, causing her to stagger backwards as he pushed her hands away. Ron reached in and took out her blue sweater, a sweater she'd received at Christmas that year from Ginny at her latest attempt to knit. Ron's fingers clenched as he stared at the misshapen sweater._

 _"_ _I thought you lost this sweater," he said between seethed teeth._

 _Anger seeped into him, blackening his eyes. He could not look at her. His mind became clouded with thoughts and images even as Hermione spoke out quickly, trying to explain. He heard through a muffled white noise, his thoughts drowned into images of his worse fear._

 _"_ _I did lose it! I left it at the office one night and Draco had taken it home to return to me in the morning, but he forgot! I thought it was lost!"_

 _In fact, when he had given it back to her, they had laughed over his forgetfulness. Draco had endured Hermione's teasing of his good looks but no brains and Draco had returned with a snarky response of her sweater smelling so bad that he thought it was only trash. Right then though, she was crying as Ron threw the bag away and grabbed her arms._

 _For once in her life, Hermione was scared of Ron. He towered over her then, his grasp tightening to the point of pain. He ignored her cries though as he suddenly backed her up._

 _"_ _He just found it, huh!" He shook the sweater in her face. "Or did you leave it at his home! You accuse me of cheating when you've probably been shagging Malfoy behind my back for the past two years!"_

 _He shook her then, her smaller body like a doll in his hands. Hermione tried to stop him, but his grip only tightened. The wand in her back pocket burned into her skin. Her fingers tempted to reach for them, but Ron's now taken hold of both of her arms, sweater lying forgotten by their feet._

 _"_ _Is that why you don't share a bed with me anymore?! Why you don't even let me touch you!? Are you shagging that arse!? Blimey, Hermione, he tried to kill you and he stood by as Bellatrix tortured you! Bloody hell, he probably partook in it! Why would you lower yourself to whoring for someone like that!"_

 _Hermione snapped then, her eyes focusing on him. She knew she deserved Ron's accusations at their empty marriage bed and the lie that they were living. She knew she hurt him whenever she turned him away or only responded lightly to his kisses. She knew he wanted her to come to bed at night, but she just couldn't. She couldn't lie to herself like that. She could not lie to Ron like that. Her body could not lie to Ron._

 _However, she did not deserve this._

 _She never cheated on Ron with Draco. They've never even kissed! She did not deserve to be yelled at and accused of having an affair and for being a whore! ESPECIALLY when Ron was still only in his boxers, bedroom door still ajar to see the hair of the blonde as she waited for Ron to return. She could take anything, but that AND the accusation Ron was throwing at Draco._

 _Draco hated his past, hated who he had been. He told her about their sixth year and his fear and misery. He told her about crying in the girls' bathroom to a ghost and how terrifying it was to try and protect his family and himself from a mad man. He had even cried as he described to her how Dumbledore died and how he felt when he realized how many people died from the war._

 _What broke her though, was that Ron could accuse Draco with such animosity at what his aunt did to her. Draco cried when he talked about the death of fellow peers and their headmaster, but Draco had broken down when he recalled what happened to her._

 _She knew that day by heart, remembered the pain and the humiliation that Bellatrix had been able to make her beg for her life. She used to have nightmares about it, waking up with Ron or waking up alone to that maniac's laughter._

 _That was, until Draco. Draco's confession to her killed those nightmares. Instead, her nightmares became of him; Draco Malfoy crying, his whole body shaken with his sobs as he apologized to her and begged for her forgiveness. Her nightmares became of him leaving her because he could not forgive himself._

 _Draco Malfoy hated his past. For Ron to stand there and attack Draco, bringing up a memory that she knew Draco loathed and still blamed himself for, snapped her. Anger coursed through her veins then. Ron felt the change in her, but he ignored it and instead backed her right into the wall._

 _"_ _You don't even know Draco, Ron. Leave him alone! This is our quarrel, not his!"_

 _Ron ignored her. "Blimey, Hermione, it'll kill you to realize that the man has a wife and a son! That you have a husband and two children! Do you know how crazy it drives me that you spend more time with that git than with your own husband! Even when you're home, it's 'Draco this' or 'Draco that'!"_

 _"_ _Jealously!? You slept with another woman because you were jealous?!" Hermione began kicking, trying to loosen his hold so she could reach for her wand, but Ron stopped her by closing in on her, his body pushing her up into the wall. "If you were jealous, why didn't you say anything! You said you were fine with me staying at the office! That you were happy I was doing what I loved! Why did you do_ _ **this**_ _of all things! You never think Ronald!"_

 _"_ _I never think? Do you think I'm so dumb that I do not notice all of those looks Malfoy gives you!?" Ron shook her harder, her head snapping back and hitting the wall. Hermione felt as her vision blurred, but Ron continued yelling into her face. "You think I like knowing that Malfoy spends more time with my wife than I do!? Draco fucking Malfoy of all people!"_

 _"_ _Don't you dare take this out on him," Hermione yelled back, her anger finally coming out fully. "Draco's changed, Ron, unlike you! You still hurt everyone when_ _ **you're**_ hurt _! Instead of talking to me like a rationale person, you try to get attention by hurting me! You went out with Lavender Brown, snogging her in front of me without a care, you got mad at any boy who noticed me and got my attention away from_ _ **you**_ _! You made fun of me because I bested you in class our first year! You left Harry during our fourth year, and abandoned Harry and I when we needed you the most when we were hunting horcruxes!"_

 _They've only spoke about it once, Ron apologizing for leaving and Hermione letting it go because he came back in the end…but Hermione still remembered the pain and the emotions of chasing him that night to only have him leave her anyways. She blinked back the memories and breathed out heavily._

 _"_ _Now you sleep with another woman because I don't spend enough time with you! You're a father now! Grow up Ronald Weasley! If Draco Malfoy could, so can you!"_

 _Ron's eyes turned red then._

 _"Grow up," Ron snared. "You want me to grow up!? Like Draco Malfoy?!"_

 _His fists clenched then. He felt his body shake and his felt as his hands raised themselves. He wanted to punch something, hurt someone. He was better than Draco Malfoy. He chose the right path, followed the Light! He wasn't perfect, but he was better than Malfoy any day!_

 _He felt as his hands flew forward then and that was when everything changed. He regretted it instantly. He regretted it when he felt her soft flesh against his hard knuckles. He wished more than anything then, that he could stop time and stop the laws of muggle gravity._

 _Stop that flesh from hitting flesh or the sudden crunch of her nose or the wetness of the suddenly red liquid on his hand. He felt as his punch landed on her, felt as her head flew backwards, and heard the loud crunch as the back of her skull crashed into the wall._

 _He meant to hit the wall by her head, hit the corner he's backed her into, the corner he felt he had been shoved into with her in their marriage. He just wanted to show how angry and upset he was, that all his fury was a result of his love._

 _He loved her so much and hated how their marriage had become so empty._

 _He was angry at himself for not talking to her beforehand and keeping quiet, saying nothing until finally he found himself burying his grieving body into that faceless woman. He was angry at himself for doing something as appalling as touch another woman when all he wanted was her._

 _He was angry at how alone he's been. He hated how angry he's been._

 _But right then, in that moment, Ron Weasley hated himself the most._

…

He tried to help her up, tried to apologize over and over again, but Hermione survived the Second War for a reason. Ron let her go, let her drop like a rag onto the cold floor. He reached for her, but even in her shock, she stunned him faster than he could recover from _his_ shock. As he fell onto his back, he watched helplessly as she aparrated away. He stared in horror at her blood on the ground and the blood on his knuckles.

Ron Weasley was left to pick up his infidelity and lies. He kicked the other nameless unknown woman out. He panicked and contacted everyone using flow powder and apparition.

Ginny threatened and swore at him, up and down. Even his mother cursed him. Harry had been silent, his eyes saying everything that was needed to be said. His brothers had to be held back by their angry wives when they tried to throw themselves on their foolish youngest brother (except George's case when he had to restrain Angelina). The rain began then and the storm blew in.

Everyone became more afraid as Hermione showed up nowhere.

Ron faced Mr. Granger's wrath and took Mrs. Granger's slap across the face when he went to them, hoping beyond hope that Hermione was with them. When all hope was loss, when Neville and Hannah Longbottom glared at him in disapproval and when even _Luna_ looked at him with condemnation, Ron knew he only had one last hope. Ron Weasley turned to Draco Malfoy.

Draco was awoken from the guest room he's slept in for the past few years to discover a decrepit Ron Weasley in the storming rain. Ron explained to him the situation in his rambling stumbling voice and Ron has never seen Draco's face split into such a rage as his words came pouring out.

That night, Draco Malfoy found out that he was not the only one sleeping in separate beds from their spouse. That night, Ron had cried and begged Draco to look for her because Ron knew— _he just knew_ —that Draco would find her.

That night, Ron Weasley confessed to Draco his jealously and his insecurities that led him to sleeping with another woman tonight, how Hermione spent more time with Draco, and how she always talked about him. He confessed to whose the blood was on his knuckles and accepted it when Draco punched him.

That night was the night Astoria Malfoy knew that her husband's separation was not due to strain at work. No, it for his love of another woman whose husband was left crying at their front door. She watched Draco walk out without even glancing at her, watched as he disappeared into the pouring rain and apparated.

That night, was the night the picture perfect family began to crumble. That night, their children slept safely and ignorantly in their beds at Hogwarts. That night, Scorpius Malfoy had fallen asleep finally confessing his love for Rose Weasley and that same night, Rose Weasley confessed to her cousin Lilly in the Gryffindor commons room, that she was in love with Scorpius Malfoy. However, no one knew what happened next or what happened that night between Draco and Hermione.

No one, but them.

:::

 _He chanted her name to himself as he apparated to the only place he could think of her being. She always joked to him how she loved that place, how if she ever just needed a place to forget who she was, it was the best place to be. He thought it was odd, maybe kind of stupid. It's just a bus station. But she's told him that it was a reminder of how mundane her life was before as just a muggle, before the war. A bus station filled with people doing mundane things, going anywhere they wanted or needed to._

 _Maybe it was mundane things that she wished for me._

 _Fear and pain, anger and hatred, ran through him. He was hot and cold, his body trembling. He wanted to kill Weasley. He saw the rusted blood on the man's hand, saw the forming bruise on the knuckles. He wanted to kill Weasley. He wanted to beat the man and slowly, one by one, break his bones, but above all that, he wanted_ _ **her**_ _. He wanted to find her, make sure she was safe._

 _As soon as he apparated, landing further than he intended, Draco Malfoy began running through the rain, his chest constricting. His mind was fogged up with worry for her. He ran through the storm, terror taking over him. Hermione was alone in this weather, bleeding and crying somewhere. Broken._

 _Ron Weasley was her husband. Her best friend._

 _His legs protested from the sudden pain as he forced them to continue moving against the strain. He had to find her. And when he did, he was never letting her go again. He was done with lying._

…

Draco found Hermione curled up at a muggle bus station, the very same one that she had dared him to ride when they had first become friends. They've ended taking the same bus many times over, Hermione taking him to a muggle library to show him muggle literature or just Hermione taking him out to explore the muggle world or the two traveling together for a case. The memories of the bus stop was filled with laughter and much exploration of their friendship.

Today though, as the wind tore around them and the rain fell, Draco felt nothing but sorrow. He stood in the rain watching her as sobs broke across her body. Without a word, he walked to her and laid his coat over her even though all he wore were pajama pants and a simple white t-shirt.

He had begun to cry when her trembling hands stopped his own as he tried healing her face with wandless magic. Her coldness had seeped into his skin as he cradled her face in his palms, her mouth crying into the skin of his palm.

He held her that night in the rain and then on the bus as they traveled to nowhere. She poured her soul out to him that night as they sat in the back of the bus, Draco putting a silencing spell around them. She clung onto him as she cried over her broken life. Sitting there in each other's arms, they finally came clean about everything. Draco told her he could not do it anymore, that he could not live with another woman while loving someone else and Hermione confessed to him that she could no longer lie to herself and to her family; she was in love Draco Malfoy.

…

 _Draco felt as her body relaxed against him, his arms curling around her protectively. Her shaking had stopped, her sobs having fallen silent long ago._

 _He ignored the muggles around him as he watched her sleep. His hands framed her face as he kissed her brow softly, his lips taking in her warmth. He kept them there, closing his eyes. Indeed, Draco Malfoy was never letting her go again._

:::

With the sun burning through the trees and clearing the storm away, Hermione returned back to the house she and Ron had shared. Reaching the door, Ron flinched at the bruises on her face.

Ron tried to greet her, but Draco prevented him from even touching her. Ron argued and even came to blows with Malfoy. When Ron smashed Draco's face, Hermione pulled her wand out, but Draco stopped her.

…

 _Draco wanted her to stay away from that bastard. Hell, he wanted to hex the git to oblivion and he wanted more than anything to return Weasley's favor for the pain knifing his face, but he fought the urge. He was here for her and he wanted her out. Now._

 _Draco turned to her, his hand rubbing his jaw. "Do you have everything?"_

 _Hermione nodded hesitantly, her hands inching to touch his face, but from the look in his eyes, she knew he wanted her to listen to him. She could not look at Ron. She could still feel the throbbing bruise on her face. She felt, rather than saw, as Ron try to reach for her again. This time, she did flinch. Draco's eyes flashed and he stepped between them._

 _Ron clenched his jaw. "This is between me and my wife, Malfoy!"_

 _Draco looked at the man before him. Ron was taller, his red hair straggly and unkempt, his eyes red and puffy from crying, almost matching his hair. They stared at one another, Draco's gray eyes like steel meeting with Ron's blue ones. Hermione kept her eyes on Draco._

 _Draco's clothes were still wet, seemingly left alone as if Draco forgot he was a wizard who could dry it in any moment. However, he was too tired now to even care. He was too relieved to have her next to him and safe. He just wanted to take her away, far, far away from the man before him._

 _Draco loved Hermione, but he had trusted Ron enough to let her be with him. He hadn't wanted to ruin Hermione's life. He wanted her with Ron, the champion friend of Harry Potter. She was better off with him than with Draco Malfoy, the former Deatheater._

 _All these years of pretending, of watching her return home to Ron, of returning home to his empty life and lie to his best friend_ — _his wife_ — _lying to their children, was worth it._ _Worth it because Hermione Granger was better off with the golden hero, Ron Weasley._ _Worth it because they were too old now to be divorced, to be remarried, to be in love with another person besides their intended spouse of years and years of happiness and adversities._

 _Everything was worth it so long as Hermione stayed safe as Ron Weasley's wife._

 _Everything, the sacrifice of their love, was worth it so long as their children stayed happy in their happy families._

 _Until now._

 _Looking at Ron, Draco could have said many things. He could have punched the wizard again, cursed him, hexed, or even spit upon the very ground the man walked. However, Draco thought of the woman behind him and thought about all these years of being in love with her._

 _He wanted to do what was best for her. He was tired of sacrificing both of their happiness for others, even their children. He was tired of not being able to love Hermione the way she should have always been loved. He wanted to do what was right._ _Without another thought, he spoke._

 _"_ _You don't deserve her."_

 _And they left Ron Weasley weeping at his own door step._

…

The separations and tension of the golden couple flashed across the headlines. Rita Skeeter had a blast with the rumors of why they broke up. Ron, angered at Skeeter for accusing Hermione of cheating in one of her articles, came clean and told them the truth of that night. Hermione cried to Draco and Harry when she realized that Ron had sacrificed his own image to save hers.

This last act of heroism was the only reason why Ginny forgave her brother, but even then she still refused to talk to Ron. Author and Molly were upset with their son. His brothers were polite but there was definitely tension between them all. So far, George was the only one who would stay in the same room with him because they worked together still at the joke shop. However, the outside wizardry world was far less forgiving.

Ron Weasley, from then on, was snared up and down the streets for cheating on and abusing the great Hermione Granger. Yes, Granger. The divorced was finalized in less than one month, Draco and Harry pulling strings in the ministry for wizardry divorce at Hermione's request.

The ministry and Shacklebot were sympathetic to Hermione and allowed for the divorce to happen faster than usual. Hermione was given two weeks off from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, everyone insisting her to take a much needed break. In a span of one month, three things happened.

First, Scorpius Malfoy kissed Rose Weasley in the astronomy towers, secretly finally giving into their emotions, and moments later she would hear about her parent's separation in the Great Hall.

Second, Draco Malfoy left his wife, reasons for his leaving unknown; Scorpius finding out on the last day of Hogwarts that his father was missing.

Third, Ron relinquished custody of his children to Hermione, claiming visiting rights, and left for the United States, wanting to start over.

* * *

 _ **So We Begin Again**_

* * *

 _ **A/N** \- This has been on my mind for a while. This will probably be only a three piece, instead of a whole story. Hope you enjoy. _


	2. Chapter 2

_**~ Begin Again ~**_

* * *

 _"...who wonder whether Ron would have really been able to make her happy." - E.C.D.W_

* * *

It's been a week now since Draco or Hermione have seen each other.

They'd parted with uncertainty. He'd squeeze her fingers before apparating away. He'd left her with an apology and a single name. His wife.

While Hermione was no longer married, Draco was.

Or he had been.

...

 _"You're in love with Granger," Astoria said, her voice steady as she stood in front of her husband._

 _Draco's jaw clenched as he fisted his fingers into his slacks. She had found him only when she had finally gotten one of the house elves to talk (the poor creature was in tears after revealing the secret and only stopped when Astoria reassured him that the master would not punish Gibby)._

 _The black haired woman was elegantly beautiful, her haunting eyes eerily stoic as she stared at her husband. The muggle hotel was once a very sophisticated and well kept room, but after a week with a distraught Malfoy, the room was in much need of new remodeling._

 _Draco unclenched his fingers and ran them through his already ruffled pearl hair. His jaw was shaded with a five o'clock shadow, the light blonde hair barely visible. There were shadows under his suddenly distant gray eyes, the color standing out more than usual as he breathed out deeply. He finally looked his age at 43. He continued to study Astoria, their eyes holding a steady gaze before she took in his attire._

 _His white button shirt was raggedy, the first few buttons loose. His sleeves were rolled up, unkempt and as bedraggled as the rest of him. The dilapidated shirt was barely tucked in and his room was worse for wear. In all her years of marriage with Draco Malfoy, she has never seen him in such a state of disarray. Neither has she seen him so torn and haggard with blood shot eyes._

 _"Astoria," Draco breathed out, his chest falling._

 _He ran his left hand, a certain silver band absent, over his jaw line as he fought for words to say. She noticed the absence of their wedding ring, but she had come today knowing what was going to happen. It's been a week since they've seen each other. When she showed up, knocking on his hotel door, he knew that she knew. She knew what was killing him, what kept him from their marriage bed, and what kept him from being the loving husband he once was._

 _"Answer me this, Draco," Astoria asked, breaking the silence between them. Draco flinched at the tone of her voice, the calm being broken by something else: doubt. "Did you sleep with her?"_

 _Draco turned his suddenly storming gray eyes to her. Astoria was taken aback by the anger, accusing her of something she was unsure of. She held her ground though even as Draco stood up to his full height, his face suddenly determined. She was shorter than him by more than five inches, Draco towering over her. Waves of swathed rage fumed off of him, his fingers clenching and unclenching._

 _Draco could not believe his ears, but then again, he should have seen this coming._

 _He loves Astoria._

 _He may have never been in love with her, but he still loved her. She was the mother of his son, his wife for all these years, and even more, his best friend. He was sorry for feeling the way he did for Granger, for breaking what was once a great marriage, but he'll be damn if she doubted him and his respect to her. He loved her too much to have crossed that physical infidelity._

 _He was not Ron Weasley._

 _"Astoria," Draco began; his voice husky and deceptively calm despite his anger even as his eyes turned into apologetic pleading, "I may have screwed up our marriage by distancing myself from you. I may have mislead you of my feelings for Hermione," Astoria flinched at how comfortable Granger's name caressed Draco's lips, "But I have never, ever, slept with her. We've never even kissed."_

 _Yes, they've never even kissed. He was tempted to that night on the bus, but even then, everything had stood between them._

 _Their marriages and their children._

 _Astoria blinked at him, her eyes suddenly watery even as she fought off the tears. Draco gently wiped a tear from her cheek, his fingers softly catching her face. Astoria stared up into the face of the decrepit man before her. Their eyes met and she cried some more as she recalled the memories that filled the sudden divine between them._

 _Memories of their first times: first kiss, first laugh, first tears. Memories of raising a son, of living together. Memories of a marriage. Of a lifetime._

 _Her soft hands came up to cover his on her face and she kissed the palms gently. Astoria pulled away gently from him, her eyes turning away from his too understanding gaze. She could not hate him, even though a part of her wanted to scream at him. Draco understood fully and he said his next words with kindness and care._

 _"You're not happy with me Astoria," his voice was husky and soothing, "and you deserve better than this."_

 _Astoria turned her head up and looked pass him out the window. Her eyes were far away from him as she replied. "I always thought, how lucky I was to be married to my best friend...we were happy though, weren't we Draco?"_

 _"We were," Draco whispered, his voice suddenly chocking. Draco studied her with eyes drowned in memories, promises, and secrets. She could see the sudden suffering and division within his face, gray eyes suddenly watering. "I am so sorry, Astoria."_

 _Astoria smiled sadly, eyes defeated. "I know."_

 _Draco was caught between embracing her and crying. He's spent a week thinking over everything, unable to even contact Hermione who was only a few blocks away from the hotel, living back with her parents. Draco closed his eyes and lowered his head. He wished more than anything to never have fallen for Hermione, but he knew in his heart that he has probably always held her somewhere within his heart, even back at Hogwarts. He could not lie to himself anymore._

 _She could see the battle within him, his eyes squeezing shut. She knew he was blaming himself and would probably make a self-sacrificing decision to make her and his son happy. Astoria Malfoy, formerly Greengrass, made a decision then. She moved forward, leaning up and placing a soft kiss on her soon to be ex-husband's cheek. His whole body tensed as he felt unexpectedly warm lips against his skin. She leaned away as she stared up at the man that would always be her best friend._

 _"I don't want anything of yours," she said softly as she stepped back. "I want Scorpius to chose who he will stay with during the summer and the holidays. I will not take your son away from you, Draco."_

 _She did not wait for his reply and instead walked out, her robe following in a whirl after her. Draco watched her go out, surprise on his face. Astoria felt as more tears fell from her eyes, but she knew her decision was the best._

 _She smiled through the tears, her hand coming up to cover her mouth as she leaned against the wall next to the elevator. Her body slumped against the concrete, both hands covering her mouth now as she tried to silence the sounds breaking through her mask. She could not stop the sobs though as they came pouring out, her chest heavy even as each breath seem to hurt her._

 _Astoria Greengrass, formerly Malfoy, was alone._

 _Astoria Greengrass…was free._

...

It took another week for Draco to finally leave, repairing the hotel room and attempting to repair himself. Whatever was left of him.

Divorced. Free. From what though? His marriage had been good. Hermione's had been, before Ron's foolish actions. The two had married the person everyone believed they should have been with. They had children they loved. They had a life.

He shouldn't be feeling free, as if no longer chained by a burden unwanted. Astoria had been his best friend. The mother of his son.

How did one let that go? How could one feel relief at breaking the heart of someone they loved?

Broken and lost within his thoughts, this was how Hermione found him when she met him again outside of her parents' home.

...

 _A lone figure stood reticently cloaked in sorrow and troubled thoughts. One feet in front of the other, the man seemed unsure of himself. His expression changed and flickered with every second, lost somewhere she could only watch from a long way off._

 _Hermione could understand though. Yet she found that she did not want to know this man, taciturn and still, clothed with only his anguish. She never wanted to see him like this ever again._

 _"Draco," she began, unsure and quiet._

 _"Hermione," he whispered back, voice hoarse. "How_ — _I mean, I'm sorry for my long absence. I..._ _" He was unable to finish, grey haggard eyes closing briefly before reopening._

 _"I'm alright. Are we," she paused. "Are we alright?"_

 _There is a long intimate moment of breathing, the two simply staring at each other. Slowly, his face dividing between hesitance and an unknown fear, he walked towards her. Hermione's eyes never left his even as he spoke, hands fumbling at his sides._

 _"Astoria and I are no longer married." She watched his words from afar, drowning in emotions that couldn't find a place within the suddenly desolate sea within her. "I...Hermione..."_

 _She knew this was coming. But it still had not prepared her. She liked Astoria. She liked Draco's wife—ex-wife—and this...this was what the two of them had been avoiding all these years._

 _The guilt. The panic. The hurt._

 _The pain that their relationship will bring._

 _The sudden realization of what this all meant. For them. For their families. Their children._

 _It has only begun._

 _She met his eyes, a darker shade of his usual gray, bloodshot with shadows that have seen longer nights than days. Her heart clenched as she saw his sudden movement, long calloused fingers rubbing over the leftover scar on his left wrist. Her own scars from the war burned, a slow ache creeping into her skin._ _Gently, she reached for his hand. Without hesitance, he returned the gesture, their fingers interlacing and the burn, the singe of old scars, muted against their combined warmth._

 _Their eyes met once more. Hermione heard as her heart pounded against her ears. She never thought she would be with anyone but Ron._

 _She blinked back dried tears._

 _Ron._

 _Her best friend._

 _The boy she grew up with._

 _A man she grew to love._ _A man she still loved, behind the phantom bruises he left._

 _They had built up a home nestled in love and laughter, shaken by her feelings for the man in front of her. But within minutes, it had been Ron who had_ _laid to waste all of the memories that they had built with a fire that left nothing behind for either of them. Consumed by_ _the aftermath, she'd been lost within the unrecognizable ruins of the life she had led with Ron._

 _But as she stood staring into grey eyes, she saw new buds of life breaking free from the ashes._

 _"We'll be alright," Hermione answered for Draco, eyes smiling gently. "I love you."_

 _Her words washed over him, lulling him into a sea that he knew held only her. Leaning in, he laid his forehead against hers. His whole body fell in on itself as a breath he didn't realize he was holding, left him._

 _They'll make it._

 _Together._

...

What they couldn't possibly realize though, was that within those charred remains, another life was blooming into play. While Hermione and Draco found each other amidst the aftermath of their divorces, their children were still unaware of the changes.

And how these changes will then affect them.

As Draco finally reunited with Hermione, their children bid farewell to each other.

...

 _Scorpius Malfoy looked on solemnly as everyone ascended into the train, preparing to greet their families and a new summer. He watched as they filed their luggage up into the train and waited as they filed into the compartments. He stood hidden in the shadows, knowing that no one would see him...see them._

 _Rose Weasley walked from behind him and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. Scorpius turned to her, his eyes softening. They were both in their fifth year already, about to enter their sixth the upcoming fall. Both were prefects and fighting to become Head Boy and Girl for their seventh year._

 _It was sad really, how long it took for them to finally confess to one another. Scorpius quickly kissed her, his lips warm against hers as she smiled at him when he pulled away. The blonde haired teen reached for her hand and Rose felt as his callused fingers (roughened up from Qudditch) curled around hers._

 _She took comfort in his silence, knowing that he was trying to figure out what was wrong in his own home while worrying about her. Hugo was somewhere in the train looking for her, she knew. Scorpius sighed softly when Rose embraced him and kissed his jaw._

 _This may be the last time Scorpius see her before next fall. Scorpius wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her once before letting her go. "You better go before your brother and cousins murder me."_

 _Rose looked at him, eyes furrowed together, lips tipped downward. Her eyes studied him just as much as his studied her in return._

 _With slow movements, she nodded. "I'll send you an owl soon, Scorp."_

 _"I'll be waiting," he replied and then shared one quick last kiss before he watched her walk away from him._

...

Rose and Scorpius has agreed to keep their new relationship a secret, having had no time to share with anyone when the horrible news of her parent's separation tore the school apart. He had wanted nothing more than to scoop her into his arms and take her away when the news and whispers filled the Great Hall.

Their silence, within the chaos, was the best decision for now. Only one person from Rose's large family would be happy for them. Harry Potter's godson and Scorpius shared an odd relationship of respect and mentorship. Of cousinhood.

There first meeting had been one of the few moments of his life that Scorpius will forever remember.

...

 _He felt the sudden pain that shot through his face. He stayed down; knowing that if he stood up, the beating will only get worse. It always got worse. The boys who stood over him were a bit bigger than him, fifth years. Their red robes and the symbol of Gryffindor worn proudly on their shirts even as they spat on the small Slytherin first year._

 _"That'll teach you, you bloody death eater," one of the boys said as he kicked Scorpius on the ground, his shoe digging into the boy's stomach._

 _"Hey," someone shouted. The boys suddenly scattered, running in different directions. "Cowards, all of them!"_

 _The voice was filled with anger and disgust as Scorpius felt warm arms picking him up. He clutched at his stomach as he slowly stood up with the help of the older boy. He looked up and was surprised to meet dark eyes._

 _Edward Lupin stared down at him. Scorpius knew what the metamorphmagus must be thinking. It's what everyone tells him. A spitting image of his father, Malfoy to the core. Deatheater. He grimaced when he felt the already forming bruise on his face. He flinched, wincing as Lupin's fingers suddenly reached out, touching the sore cheeks. Scorpius quickly covered it along with his bleeding nose. But as he tried to get away, agonizing pain shot through his body and he grabbed his rib cage._

 _"Come on," Lupin whispered as he suddenly hefted Scorpius by the shoulder. "I'll take you to the infirmary."_

 _Scorpius shook his head. "Please don't."_

 _Lupin stopped and looked down at him with unreadable and too observant eyes. "And why not? That looks quite a bit like broken rib from the way they kicked you."_

 _Scorpius shook his head even as he winced once more. "If she heals me, they'll only come back. Please, if I let these bruises stay, they'll leave me alone until they heal again."_

 _Lupin continued staring down at him, his eyes softening. He sighed before helping Scorpius towards the infirmary, despite the boy's objection._

 _"Don't let them scare you like that," he muttered softly as they slowly made their way to the infirmary._

 _Scorpius was quiet for a long time before finally asking, "Why are you helping me?"_

 _Lupin looked down at the first year with surprise. "Why wouldn't I?"_

 _"You're Edward Lupin," Scorpius said quietly, his eyes casted downwards. "Don't you blame my family for what happened to your parents?"_

 _There was a moment of silence. Scorpius looked back up._

 _Lupin had pursed his lips, his dark eyes silent. He stared at Scorpius even as they continued walking. A moment later, Lupin made his reply, his eyes softening. The color of the irises changed, coming to resemble those of the first year._

 _"We are family Scorpius," Lupin whispered, his voice firm and allowed no room for protest._

 _Scorpius' breath hitched, chest suddenly aching more than his ribs, his eyes blurred as they began to tear up. Sniffling, he nodded. H_ _e made no more objections as Lupin continued to help him to the infirmary. The two explained Scorpius' injuries away as a trip down the stairs. It didn't matter if she believed them._

 _When they were down, Lupin, before he dropped Scorpius off, said, "Oh, before I forget. Call me Teddy. Everyone does."_

 _Scorpius nodded. And that was how Edward Lupin became Teddy._

...

Teddy had made life at Hogwarts easier for Scorpius. While the older boy spent most of his time with the Weasleys and the Potters, the other students who wanted to settle the score with a Deatheater's son, quickly stopped beating Scorpius when they realized that Teddy Lupin was his defender.

Scorpius kept their interaction from his parents, not sure how his father would feel if he knew that the son of his deceased blood traitor cousin and a werewolf taught Scorpius muggle and magical defense. But what Teddy couldn't teach Scorpius to defend from...were the Potter boys.

Scorpius knew that James didn't like him much and the same could be said for Scorpius. Much of the pranks led against Slytherins were monitored by James Potter and many times, James turned a blind eye to the bullying of Slytherins, including Scorpius himself. Scorpius was glad that James Potter's was leaving Hogwarts, that his last two years will be James-Potter-Less.

So yes, Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy held no love for James Sirius Potter. Albus Severus Potter though, he held a bit more of respect even if begrudgingly so.

Albus and Scorpius were rivals in everything; academics and Quidditch (they even shared the first crush on a Ravenclaw beauty their second year). Scorpius never got into trouble, unless Albus was around. The two, as Draco pointed out, shared a relationship that echoed their father's back before the war started...before Voldemort returned.

And because a dark lord would not be returning soon, Scorpius and Albus passed their fourth year without the resurrection of a dead mad man. And so their rivalry stayed just that: a rivalry.

Despite the trouble both Potter boys have given him throughout his time in Hogwarts though, Scorpius would never trade it. After all, those confrontation with Albus and James had led to his small, but memorable interactions with Rose Weasley. There was no way either of them will tell that to Rose's cousins though.

Rose.

Scorpius can't quite remember when his heart started fluttering just at sound of her name or when his stomach had started clenching at just being near her. Sweaty palms, quickened breaths, and the insane inability to not think about her... he knew he had been a goner as soon as he saw her again during their first prefect meeting on the Hogwarts express.

To think, she was now his girlfriend. _Girlfriend_. He never thought he'd ever see the day that he would be able to say that.

While his father had been building up a relationship with Harry Potter, Scorpius could never truly breach into the Weasley-Potter clan at school.

Hugo was in his own world and never paid Scorpius much attention so Scorpius did not know how Rose's younger brother felt about him. The only ones who were polite to him were the younger generations: Lilly, Lucy, and Louis.

Next fall, Louis was going into his fifth year, hoping for a prefect badge, and Lucy was right next to him, but less caring of a prefect badge (might have to do something with her father). Hugo and Lilly were entering their fourth year. Lilly, however, was always with Rose so Scorpius knew that the youngest Potter knew something was up between her cousin and the Malfoy boy.

He wondered if the youngest Potter would like him more than her brothers did. He sure hoped so.

Rose, unlike Scorpius, could care less what her cousins thought about her choice in whoever she snogged—he was a good snogger—and dated. She'd liked Scorpius for a while now. She wasn't sure when it had started.

Maybe after their third year?

It wasn't until their fifth year though, when she'd seen him again during their first prefects meeting that she'd realize what the pounding in her heart and the rush of blood meant.

At first, she'd denied it.

He was a Malfoy. Her father never hid his dislike for the Malfoys, even when Scorpius' father started showing up for family gatherings. Her mother though...Rose knew that her mother was actually good friends with Scorpius' father, unlike her father.

...

 _Rose hugged her father, smiling exasperatedly when her father reminded her to beat Scorpius. He's never failed to tell her to do so the past few times they've sent her and her cousins off, why would her fourth year be any different?_

 _"Yes, dad," Rose nodded, feigning to listen even as she searched for Albus' familiar black hair within the crowd._

 _Instead, something platinum did. She blinked. She turned her eyes away, about to return to her search for Albus when her mother's voice distracted her._

 _"Malfoy," Rose turning back when she heard the teasing tone in her mom's voice, "here to see your son off to another year? You know, with your brains, I'm not sure if Hogwarts is going to help him."_

 _Rose gave her mom a sidelong glance, noticing the smile her mother was giving Mr. Malfoy. Whatever remark was returned, she didn't hear as the whistle blew and with it, her mother's laughter at whatever Mr. Malfoy had said. She met Scorpius' eyes, the two sharing a small smile as their parents bantered. Mr. Malfoy's smile, Rose couldn't help notice, fell slightly as Rose's dad stepped between Mr. Malfoy and her mom._

 _"Malfoy, Rosie's going to beat your boy this year too. Just you see," he smiled proudly, eyes flashing._

 _Mr. Malfoy chuckled, eyes looking down at Scorpius before turning to study Rose. She felt as her cheeks warmed at the sudden attention. She nodded at him, whispering a hello. Mr. Malfoy bowed his head at her with a smile that turned into a smirk as he glanced back at her father._

 _"Well, Weasley, I'm sure somewhere someone's looking out for you. After all, she certainly didn't get her brains or her looks from you."_

 _Rose couldn't help but smother her laughter because she knew that's what everyone, even Uncle Harry, said to her dad. She watched as her mom laid a hand on her dad's shoulder though, calming him._

...

Despite her mother and Uncle Harry's good relationship with the Malfoys, Rose knew better. She used to break up the fight between her cousins and the Slytherins, specifically between Scorpius and Albus. She hadn't realize how badly the Slytherins were being treated until she'd heard about a particular prank during her fourth year that had resulted in an unconscious Scorpius.

She'd heard of it only after she had noticed Scorpius' absence from Transfiguration the next day. When she found out it had been Albus and James who had done so, she'd given the two the silent treatment for a month. She'd vowed, when Scorpius had finally awoken, that she'd never allow for that to happen again.

So when she'd heard about a prank during her fifth year, she'd done what she could. But what she couldn't have known was that, that day would change everything between them.

...

 _Rose's breathing was labored, her side protesting, as she ran down the hall. She'd just overheard Roxy talking about one of her dad's new invention, now in the hands of James._

 _Roxy's older brother, Fred II, was working with his dad now at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes._ _He finished Hogwarts last year, but that hadn't stop his continued pranks on school ground._ _Whenever he could, he would drop by during Hogsmeade weekend and sneak new—non-lethal?—products to James as what Freddie calls, "experiments of the youth." Roxy would always reply right afterwards, "more like experiments **on** the youth."_

 _Rose's concern had grown when James' girlfriend, Jennifer Cooper_ _(daughter of an American Wizard, John Cooper. Her mom was a good classmate of their parents, formerly known as Susan Bones) said she'd overheard that James and a couple of other Gryffindors were heading to the dungeon. Fearing the worst, Rose had made her way down. During the walk, she'd been arguing with herself._

 _While being a prefect meant she had to stop these pranks, she also felt conflicted about turning in her own cousins. But those thoughts had been interrupted by an explosion...a_ _nd she was running now, praying it wasn't James._

 _Rounding the corner, she stopped dead. The hallway was filled with confetti and paint, all colors of the rainbow splattered across the hall, windows, and walls. She could hear the outcry of the paintings that had been hit._

 _But most importantly, lying on the ground was Scorpius Malfoy, his hair and body an assorted collage of colors. Running past her, James grabbed her arm. Bright brown eyes met hers, panic lacing his usually cocky gaze._

 _"Rosie, what are you doing here?" He breathed out hurriedly before he began to drag her._

 _Scorpius' unmoving body flashed across her face. She snatched her arm away and James cursed. He made to grab her again, but was pulled away by another boy. Rose ignored them as she ran to Scorpius, not catching the betrayed look James threw her before he disappeared._

 _Heart pounding, Rose quickly checked Scorpius' breathing and let out her own breath as he moaned when she'd laid a hand over his chest. Biting her lips, she quickly casted a levitation spell and slowly walked through the mess._

 _After a ways walk to the hospital wing, a frantic lecture from Madam Pomfrey and a quick check over of her own person, Rose was seated next to Scorpius. Yawning, she glanced at the time. It was quickly passing nine. She turned back to Scorpius and for once, took the time to study him._

 _He looked just like his father. She cocked her head a little. She guess he was good looking, pointed face and all. More pretty though, she thought, acknowledging hints of his mother on parts of his face. She closed her eyes, yawning again...to only reopen them when rough calloused fingers touched her hand._

 _Blinking, she straightened from where she had fallen asleep. Rubbing her eyes, she looked at the clock. Strange. It was midnight now. Madam Pomfrey hadn't awoken her? She turned to see who had. Stiffening, she scooted back into her chair when she realized she'd fallen asleep by Scorpius' bedside. Blood rushed to her cheeks when she saw the drool by his side._

 _He glanced to where she was looking. There was a moment of silence before he started laughing. It was a rough laugh though, his voice hoarse from the medicine that had been forced down his throat due to his unconscious state. Watching as he laughed, despite the fact that it had been her cousin who put him there, Rose felt herself smile._

 _"How are you feeling? Okay?"_

 _At her question, he stopped laughing. Rose watched as surprise cross his face. Then as something she couldn't quite understand replace the surprise. He smiled at her, but she felt her heart clench._

 _His smile._

 _Something wasn't right about it._

 _"Thanks to you, yes." He glanced around them at the hospital wing. "I'll take a wild guess and say you carried me here?"  
_

 _"Levitated," she corrected before she could stop herself. Realizing what she'd said, she cleared her throat before speaking again, "I couldn't just leave you there, Malfoy."_

 _He turned back to her, lips twisted upwards. His smile. Something about it was still so wrong._

 _"You could have," the words was barely even a whisper when it left his lips. She stiffened, wanting to protest, but it died a quick death at his next words. "Your cousin did."_

 _Fingers clenched onto her knees, digging into her robes. She looked away, suddenly ashamed. Yes. James did just leave. She took a deep breath before turning back to him._

 _"Well, I'm not my cousin, am I?"_

 _Something sparked in his eyes then. She fought her sudden urge to squirm beneath his unreadable gaze. The twist of his lips was gone. He was staring at her like he's never seen her before._

 _"No, I guess you're not." He blinked, thick eyelashes framing his gaze briefly. "No one could mistake you for a boy, Rose."_

 _The feeling, from when she'd seen him again on the Hogwarts Express, came back. Heart pounding, she wished she could stop the warmth suddenly spreading across her neck. She knew that it would be creeping up her face soon. Fingers clenching into her knees, she got up quickly._

 _She bit her lips, his eyes following the movement. When something she couldn't quite understand_ — _but oh so wanted to_ — _crossed his face, his eyes darkening into a melted silver, she knew she had to leave._

 _"I should go."_

 _And before he could stop her, she was gone._

...

That had been the start. Or had it just been the tipping point of the accumulated tension that had been building up since, well, since she could remember. Whatever it was, it happened. And it changed things.

She studied him more, watched his interaction with the rest of his housemates and the other houses. She realized now what had been wrong with his smile. Defeat. Resignation.

To his treatment, to being left for dead, to being kicked down.

His smile, so strained yet so genuine that it was heartbreaking because she realized now, that he had always been resigned to his fate as a Deatheater's son. It explained why he's never actually assaulted or even tried to get back at his bullies. It explained why he always told Madam Pomfrey that he either fell down the stairs or that practice had been rough...excuses after excuses.

He was willingly paying for the crimes of his family.

When she had confronted him about this, he'd only smiled at her. That bloody resigned smile.

...

 _Rose opened her mouth, anger bubbling at the edge of her lips, about to tell him to stop bloody smiling at her, when his words stole the very breath from her lips._

 _"My father was our age when he was tasked to kill Albus Dumbledore," his voice suddenly soft, smile twisted upwards even as his eyes studied hers with only a pained expression, "he was our age when he received the Dark Mark. He was our age when he killed people...peers really, allowing a mad man into Hogwarts."_

 _He looked away, staring at something beyond her. She recognized that look. It appeared on Teddy's face whenever he thought about his parents. She wanted to take that look away from Scorpius though. It didn't belong there. It shouldn't be on anyone's face._

 _"When they tell me that my father killed their father...their aunt or uncle, their loves ones...I accept their punishment. Not because," his words came out in a rush when she stepped towards him to protest, "I deserve it. But because I'm my father's son."_ _His smile fell, lips twisted downwards, suddenly haggard and tired, "My father shouldered his father's burden, no matter if he deserved it or not. My father loved his father," he paused, blinking, "and I love mine."_

...

It was then that Rose knew that she was gone, stolen away by melancholy grey eyes that knew too much and saw more than he's ever wanted to see. She had realized then, that her parents had hidden much from her about the war. The same went for the rest of her cousins. Albus and she hadn't even known how famous their family were until they entered Hogwarts. Her parents and her aunts and uncles had been _able_ to hide the scars of war from their children.

But not everyone could be protected from the war, before or after.

Not a Malfoy.

Not a Deatheater's son.

She saw that it hadn't just been him. It's been most of the Slytherins. The other houses avoided them, ignored them, and/or bullied them. Her family has never really interacted with any Slytherins, except for that one time that Roxy wanted to be rebellious and make her mom mad.

She wondered why she'd allowed this to influence her. Why she'd allowed her only interaction with Slytherins involve pranks (rather she participated in them or not), why she allowed herself to only interact with Scorpius when it involved her cousins.

...

 _Rose caught up to Scorpius, one hand reaching for his sleeve to stop him. She frowned when he flinched, relaxing only when he realized who she was._

 _"Rose," he acknowledged before nodding to Nott, the other boy walking away. Scorpius turned fully to her, grey eyes narrowed with confusion. "Is something wrong?"_

 _She quickly shook her head, watching him carefully to make sure he didn't smile that smile. "I was wondering if you would like to study Flitwick's new spell together."_

 _He stared at her, clearly shocked. After a few moments of silence, she crossed her arms. "You don't have to study with me if you don't wish to Scorpius."_

 _"No," he spoke quickly and she was surprise to see the sudden reddening of his cheeks, "I do. I just_ — _I didn't think you would_ — _"_

 _"Well, I do," she interrupted when he only continued to stumble. "Seven o'clock at the library tonight."_

 _When he nodded, she gave him a smile. Her heart skipped a beat when he prized her with one of his own._

 _She liked when he smiled that smile._

...

They had continued studying together. But something was building and Rose hadn't been sure what it had been. Quick touches, accidental brushes, and many awkward blushing or flushing filled their time together.

But it got frustrating after a while...and it appeared that it wasn't just Rose who had been frustrated with whatever it was that was happening between them. Less than a month later, he'd run into her during one of their rounds and without a word, dragged her to the nearest dark corner. She had not protested much when he'd backed her against the wall, but she had froze when he asked if she wanted him.

Wanted?

 _Desire_ , he'd explained when she had been unable to answer him. She'd pushed him away, thoughts of everything, the memories of their past five years, her cousins, her family, running amok in her mind. She'd escaped without giving him an answer, being saved by some wayward second-years.

That had been the night she had confided to Lilly about her feelings for Scorpius when she couldn't actually deny it anymore. Love. As in, in love. With a Malfoy. Her father would be rolling in his grave had he a grave, but since he was clearly still alive, Rose knew that her father would just burst a blood vessel.

It didn't take long after that, Lilly's encouragement in the back of her mind, that Rose finally asked to meet Scorpius at the Astronomy Tower. And this time, she backed _him_ against the wall and asked if _he_ desired _her_.

And that had been when she learned that Scorpius Malfoy gave good snogs. Soon afterwards, she had learned about her parents' separation. It brought her down from whatever high she had been on after a night with Scorpius Malfoy...and his fingers...his lips...his tongue—

It was Louis who told her the truth about her parents' divorce. On the ride home from Hogwarts, after promising to owl Scorpius, she had learned the truth.

...

 _Rose stiffened as she saw James leave the compartment Lysander and Lorcan had pointed her towards._

 _Noticing Rose, James' skin reddened as he paused by Jennifer Cooper. Usually, Rose would be happy to see her cousin and Jennifer, but not today. Maybe not for a while._

 _Scorpius' unconscious body, left for dead, still haunted Rose's nightmares._

 _In the back of her mind, she knew she should be congratulating him on his acceptance into auror training. But she kept her lips sealed, face expressionless. Jennifer, glancing once at Rose with apologetic eyes, quickly tugged James with her through the corridor as they passed Rose._

 _Taking a deep breath, Rose fought down the emotions and words that wished to escape. She didn't know how long it'll be until she could forgive James._

 _Scorpius. Remember Scorpius, she told herself. Taking another breath and breathing it out slowly, Rose entered the compartment and froze in shock. She stared at her cousins and brother, all scrunched up into the train compartment._

 _"Rose," Lilly exclaimed softly as she patted the spot (can it be considered a spot?) between her and Molly II._

 _Molly's blue eyes smiled up at Rose as she tried to make room. Molly was finished with Hogwarts now also. Rose reminded herself to congratulate Molly later about her recent offering from to St. Mungos' Medical Apprenticeship at the Magical Center for Diseases._

 _With Molly and James gone, it made Roxy the oldest of the Weasley-Potter clan as the school has dubbed them. Rose knew that Roxy was already planning her pranks (bless Headmistress McGonagall's heart) for her last year, claiming it'll be even better than her older brother's year of terror before he left Hogwarts._

 _After Roxy, it'll be be Rose and Albus. She turned to her cousin. Albus was the spitting image of his father with the green eyes and black hair. He looked solemn and tired, his eyes haggard._

 _Albus looked over at Rose, a scowl on his face, but he continued speaking, "Dad told me that uncle Ron has moved to the states."_

 _Hugo was sitting on the floor between the two seats. "Mom is staying with gramps and gram until she's settled down in the apartment she bought in muggle London."_

 _Rose squished between her two cousins, feeling Roxy's warm hand patting her knee. Lilly and Hugo sat back, squeezing in as they watched everyone else._

 _"I think dad is mad at Uncle Ron," Lucy said, the red head looking between them all. "He didn't sound so happy when we spoke to each other through floo powder."_

 _"What have Freddie and Dominique said about what was happening as home," Molly asked, turning to Roxy._

 _Everyone perked up._

 _Freddie, Dominique, and Tori were the only ones of their generation that have left Hogwarts into the adult world, but Freddie and Dominique were the only ones still here._

 _Fred II worked at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes._ _Teddy, after hearing of his father's single year as the DADA professor, has been apprenticing as a teaching assistant for Professor Isles (the longest surviving DADA professor; it was will be eleventh year the upcoming fall) at Hogwarts. The older wizard hadn't expected to actually stay for long and was more than willing to give his star pupil his position with the approval of headmistress McGonagall._

 _While Teddy was doing this, he was also waiting for Tori._

 _Tori was traveling the world, her passion for fashion taking her far from home. Teddy proposed to her when Tori finished seventh year and Tori had accepted, but said that they would get married only after she has traveled the world and spread her new fashion statement to the wizardry and muggle world._

 _Despite their busy schedule, everyone knew that the two were still in close contact. Or had been._

 _Teddy usually spent his weekends with her, apparating and flooing where she was and at times, Tori would come back in secret to stay with Teddy for long spouts of time, but for the past year, nothing in their relationship has advanced. In fact, Teddy hasn't left to visit Tori in months and Tori was hadn't been caught sneaking out of Teddy's hut on school grounds this year._

 _The younger generation were concerned for their relationship, but Lilly was the only one not worried, claiming that Tori and Teddy were just going over a rough patch. Dominique had echoed Lilly when she was asked during Christmas about Tori's sudden absence from their traditional family holiday gatherings. Dominique was quite busy though since she left Hogwarts last year, having taken up apprenticeship under a Curse Breaker from Egypt, some witch friend of her father's._

 _All in all though, Dom and Freddie have been busy, but they've been home. Teddy has kept his lips sealed about anything between Ron and Hermione, claiming that they were to be told when they went home. So their best hopes were the other two. It was Roxy who spoke first._

 _The light caramel skinned girl pouted. "Freddie is with Teddy on this boat. He won't say anything until I get home."_

 _Louis, who had been eerily silent the whole time, shifted uncomfortably in his seat when everyone turned to him. He looked away from them before turning back to look at Rose and Hugo._

 _"Dom is unsure of what is happening, but…she said that uncle Ron had," Louis paused again, licking his lips, "an affair and that, he may have...um, beaten aunt Hermione. Uncle Ron left the country after the press tore him apart," Louis clenched his fists. "Dom visited aunt Hermione and she said that your mum is still pretty torn over everything."_

 _Everyone froze._

 _Molly and Roxy shared a look, before meeting Louis' eyes. James scowled as Albus shifted uneasily in his seat._

 _They (Molly, Roxy, James, and Albus) were the only older cousins whose parents weren't actually involved in the situation. They had calmed the rumors and kept things from being heard by Rose and Hugo as ordered by their parents and grandparents. James and Albus had been the enforcers behind this project, threatening anyone who dared mouthed anything about the Golden Couple within the ear range of Rose or Hugo._

 _But they hadn't expected it to be this bad._

 _It explained all the pitied looks from the students who did know._

 _Rose and Hugo stared at Louis in shock, disbelief crossing their faces. Their dad…hurting their mom? Cheating?_

 _Rose blinked back tears as Hugo shook with sudden anger and disbelief._

 _"D-dad would never," Hugo stopped though as he clamped a hand over his mouth._

 _Rose slipped onto the floor and hugged her younger brother, her arms going around him as Hugo cried. Albus scrubbed at his tears without success as Lucy and Lilly sobbed, falling down onto their knees with Rose and Hugo. Louis looked away, eyes lost in his thoughts as they stared unseeingly into the window. Molly and Roxy hugged all the younger ones, their eyes unable to hide their own tears._

 _There was no way this could happen, but Dominique would never lie about something like this._

 _The crying in the compartment continued throughout the ride, the cousins and siblings taking comfort in each other. They prepared themselves for what was going to happen at home._

 _Rose and Hugo holding each other the whole way, knowing that their lives would never be the same again._

...

And it wouldn't be. Because after much sleepless night, after all these years, Draco knew what he wanted from Hermione.

There would be no point in waiting. Not after everything that has happened. And Hermione knew it as much as he did.

Marriage. Love. Family.

What held them apart was also what made them want to be together.

So when he asked her, that very night when they had reunited in front of her parents' home, she'd replied with a yes.

Some would argue that they were moving too fast. Some would say they were being reckless.

But only they knew the truth behind years of silence. Of picture perfect families. Of love.

* * *

 _ **A/N** \- I personally think saying, "I do" to someone is more powerful than "I love you." Sometimes. Maybe.  
_

 _Thanks for the favoriting and following along with the much loved reviews._


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